EDISON, N.J., Sept. 21 (ZFJ) — Call it a miracle, or maybe even divine intervention. On Friday, Sept. 6, the John P. Stevens High School (Edison, NJ) varsity football team defeated cross-county rival Bound Brook by a score of 22-21, putting an end to an infamous losing streak that had extended back to November of the 2018-2019 season. “I’m feeling great, man,” said JPS senior quarterback Marquise Webb to Central Jersey Sports Radio after the game.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 6 (ZFJ) — The University of Maryland, College Park, will not allow any student group protests on Oct. 7, 2024, following controversy over a pro-Palestinian protest planned for that date. The University System of Maryland said in a press release on Sunday, Sept. 1, that special campus events—those requiring approval or permitting—will be suspended only on Oct. 7 in favor of a “university-sponsored Day of Dialogue” to promote reflection instead.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 1 (ZFJ) — The Maryland Terrapins cruised to a dominant 50-7 victory over the UConn Huskies at SECU Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31, coming together in a full offensive and defensive effort to begin the 2024 campaign on a high note. “Great team win, and great start to the 2024 season,” began Head Coach Michael Locksley during the team’s postgame press conference. “We were able to do it today with all three phases contributing to the win.

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 29 (ZFJ) — The Edison Board of Education retired the use of jersey number 24 for all Edison High School athletic teams in honor of late baseball coach and athletic director James “Diamond Jim” Muldowney at the Aug. 20 combined caucus and public meeting. Muldowney graduated from Edison High in 1973 and became a teacher from 1981-2000. He then served as the school’s athletic director from 2000-2008 and the district’s supervisor of physical education and health from 2008-2018.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 28 (ZFJ) — A heat wave has been descending on America on Wednesday, Aug. 28, placing over 77 million people under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories. High temperatures are forecast to be 10-15 degrees above average for much of the Central to Southern Plains, east into the Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic, wrote the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in a short range public discussion.

Aug. 25 (ZFJ) — The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has revised its use-of-force policy to “increase the likelihood of peaceful resolutions to encounters between police and barricaded individuals,” Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement. The change in policy, which had last been changed in December 2020, comes weeks after the July 28 shooting of Victoria Lee, who was killed while threatening cops during a “mental breakdown.

METUCHEN, N.J., Aug. 22 (ZFJ) — Walid Beshai, 36, of Bayonne, was arrested by Metuchen police at his residence on Wednesday, Aug. 14, in connection with a fire in the borough on June 27, 2024. Patrol officers responded to the scene of a fire on June 27, 2024, at about 1:30 a.m., according to an affidavit of probable cause submitted to the court by police. Three residents were removed from a two-family residential structure, and a garage that contained one of the victim’s vehicles was actively on fire.

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 11 (ZFJ) — Andrew “Dean” S. DeNicola, 55, band director at John P. Stevens High School for 50 years, died on May 20, 2024, after many years of battling heart disease. “His devotion toward music, the band program, and his students was unparalleled, and anyone who had the pleasure of getting to know Andy knew he was having fun and living his life to the fullest,” wrote the Central Jersey Music Educators Association on Instagram.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This news report contains graphic details of the police-involved shooting and vulgarities that could be offensive or disturbing to some readers. Aug. 19 (ZFJ) — Body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Victoria G. Lee, 25, of Fort Lee, by Fort Lee Police Officer Tony Pickens, Jr., during a mental health call on July 28 was released by the N.J. Attorney General’s Office (OAG) on Friday, Aug.

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 13 (ZFJ) — Someone just had the front of their house unexpectedly power washed. A 30-inch water main was broken by contractor work on Woodbrook Drive, said Edison Mayor Sam Joshi on social media on Monday, Aug. 12. The water lines are operated by the Middlesex Water Company. Residents shouldn’t have water flow disrupted because the broken line is separate from the ones used for residential distribution, according to Joshi.